Purpose in Every Piece

A Look at a San Antonio Arborist Group 

An arborist, an adventurer, and an artist. Three ways to describe a San Antonio business leader who is using his creative mind to impact the city. Scott Anderson runs Urban Soil Tree Services, a team of arborists who offer a variety of services to businesses, homeowners, and local government groups. They work on new construction and remodels, or deal with the city’s distressed trees that need nursed back to health. Urban Soil is also a wholesale operation that helps landscape architects choose the right products for their projects. One of Scott’s proudest innovations though is his team’s ability to repurpose everything that comes on site. 

“Nothing leaves by the dumpster. We are processing tens to thousands of yards of material, and we have a two yard dumpster that goes out once a week. It has a couple boxes and Whataburger wrappers in it. Everything else has a life beyond.”

They process old material as compost, mulch or even firewood. Scott is pioneering a new way to sell firewood in Texas, inspired by his years growing up in the snowy Utah mountains. He is developing an online store that allows people to research and purchase treated firewood at a fair price. The online service gives buyers quality, professionalism, and credibility that other sellers may not provide.

(Left) Stump Table ; (Right) Pecan Poxy V-Leg Table

“We outline things like, what is a cubic yard and what is a cord of wood. Knowing these things is very tough. I’ve been doing this for a very long time and I even have a hard time knowing what a full cord of wood looks like on the ground. This leaves a lot of room for sellers to be shady about it.”

Scott also repurposes the trees through his sawmill and woodshop. He craftely designs all kinds of products from wood shreds, including silverware, plates, and furniture. He sells his designs to San Antonio locals, often working with the client to create the perfect fixture. 

“Once you are in the mindset of figuring out what things are good for, then you just figure it out. You have to think it through, and yes, have some failures too. That’s how you figure out what works though.” 

Scott developed his artistic talents and love for the outdoors in Utah. In college he led backpacking trips with local teenagers, many who struggled to behave in more common environments. He hoped teaching them to survive in the wilderness -- embracing the outdoors, building fires, creatively utilizing things around them -- would help them deal with their problems at home. 

“When you put down your phone, when you don’t have the distractions of TV and those things, you really figure out who you are. And you develop a skill and something to be proud of.”

Scott taught the kids to use the forest to build the tools they would need to survive in the forest. For example, the bowls and spoons they carved from fallen logs and branches. This time helped him develop his knowledge as an arborist and outdoorsman. Scott first offered tree services to Moab, Utah locals. He bought a sawmill, then a wood shop, then a retail store and design studio. He used old trees and stumps to build furniture and other tools sold downtown. After roughly 10 years in the west, Scott relocated to San Antonio and helped launch Urban Soil. Scott and his wife wanted to be close to family while they raised their three young children. The Texas Hill Country brought many challenges though. One of the biggest was understanding the many tree species scattered across Central Texas. 

“I felt like in Utah I could identify trees at 60 miles an hour while driving down the road just by looking at the color of the leaves. It has really taken a lot of work to get that here. There are things like tropicals, citrus, and many oak species. There are lots of hackberries, which were prized trees in Utah. Here they are fenceline trees and people hate them.” 

Scott did learn the lay of the land though, and his team of roughly 25 arbortists have been a part of several major projects since then. The team has worked with corporations like H.E.B and CPS, helping preserve trees during their headquarters renovations. Urban Soil is also helping the city of San Antonio create the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, a site that embraces and educates people on the city’s culture and history. 

The inspiration for innovation still comes to life inside the design studio though. A favorite design these days, making root ball tables. The team takes an old tree stump, flips it upside down, then fills it with a material like glass or stone. The end product is a table, shelf, vanity, or any other structure that is different each time. The tables are an example of Scott’s lifelong commitment to innovatively utilizing the tools right in front of him.

Get In Touch

Urban Soil Tree Services

Address: 137 West Specht Road,
San Antonio, TX 78260

Office Phone: (210) 440-1049

urbantreecompany.com